Maverick at 1969 24 Hours of Daytona – James Garner
Louis Galanos | Apr 07, 2009 | Comments 18
A Maverick at Daytona – James Garner and American International Racers
In 1968 I attended Daytona Beach Junior College on the GI Bill. Due to the proximity of the Daytona Speedway I became interested in attending the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) events held there.
Well, one thing led to another and I joined SCCA and began volunteering to help staff events from Regionals to Nationals and eventually professional events like the 24-Hours of Daytona and the 12-Hours of Sebring.
In January of 1969 I was working the 24-Hour race at Daytona and, when not on duty, spent time in the pits taking pictures of the fabulous cars and legendary drivers.
Like the 1970 Sebring race with Steve McQueen, the 1969 event at Daytona had a movie and television star in attendance in the form of actor and team owner James Garner.
For those of you out there who are too young to remember James Garner is best known for such TV shows as Maverick and Rockford Files. He also starred in movies like The Great Escape where he co-starred with good friend Steve McQueen.
In 1966 he made the movie Grand Prix where he loosely played the role of American Grand Prix Champion Phil Hill. The movie was made in a new process called Cinerama which, when shown in theaters, used three projectors simultaneously projecting onto three screens that were curved to take up your peripheral vision.
When I first saw this movie in the late 1960′s I literally got motion sickness during some of the racing action.
1969 24 Hours of Daytona
James Garner arrived at the Daytona Speedway with his American International Racers (AIR) team of two Lola T70s. These were the Mark 3 versions with 5000 cc Traco Chevrolet engines.
Photo of James Garner wearing his AIR jacket taken in the pit area at the 1969 24 Hours of Daytona. Standing next to him is Bill France, Jr. Not sure who the other fellow is.
Unlike Steve McQueen, who drove a Porsche at Sebring in 1970, Garner was not driving in this event but just acting as team owner. Driving duties were assigned to Ed Leslie, Lothar Motschenbacher, Scooter Patrick and Dave Jordan.
When I said that Garner was “acting” as team owner I should also include the fact that at this race he also had a film crew there filming a documentary of racing that would be later called The Racing Scene.
In the filming at Daytona Mr. Garner was just playing himself. Not as an actor but team owner. The Daytona 24 segment of the film was to be an honest look at big time professional sports car racing with his AIR team of cars and drivers as the focal point. Garner’s goal was to make a documentary film that would break the stereotypical mold that had developed in Hollywood concerning racing movies.
During the few days leading up to the start of the 24-Hour race I had a chance to observe Mr. Garner and how he interacted with his team members as well as the general public. To both groups he couldn’t be nicer. Not the image one might assume when dealing with Hollywood celebrities.
Photo shows the #8 AIR Lola T70 Mk 3B that was driven by Ed Leslie and Lothar Motschenbacher. The AIR Lola T70 Mk 3B finished second behind the Penske Sunoco Lola T70 Mk 3B of Chuck Parsons and Mark Donohue.
Mr. Garner was always very accommodating to folks who wanted to take his picture, get an autograph, pose with him or just talk.
One might assume that since he had a film crew there making a documentary in which he figured prominently that he would be on his best behavior lest something untoward be caught on camera.
Photo shows the first place finisher #6 Sunoco Penske Lola T70 Mk 3B of Mark Donohue and Chuck Parsons crossing the start/finish line alongside the second place car #8 AIR Lola T70 Mk 3B of Ed Leslie and Lothar Motschenbacher
To correct that assumption let me tell you of something that happened to a friend of mine who had a car entered in the race.
My friend had a Triumph GT6 entered in the race and he and his crew were on an extremely limited budget for the event. They didn’t even have enough money for hotel rooms so they planned to camp out in the paddock at the Speedway sleeping in and around their vehicles.
Daytona in late January and February can get quite cold and damp at night. On one particular night my friend was in his sleeping bag which was on an aluminum lounge chair next to his vehicle.
Photo shows James Garner welcoming Lothar Motschenbacher after that car finished 2nd in the 1969 24 Hours of Daytona
During the night a cold, damp fog rolled in off the Atlantic Ocean and by early morning my friend was covered in dew and he was cold to the bone.
Mr. Garner was an early riser and left his trailer as the sun was coming up drinking a hot cup of coffee to keep warm. He was on his way to the garage area when he noticed this fellow in the lawn chair who was just beginning to wake up.
James Garner seeks to offer congratulations to Lothar Motschenbacher after they finished 2nd in the 1969 24-Hours of Daytona
Garner went back his trailer and got another cup of coffee and gave it to my friend who by now was awake and flabbergasted that this celebrity was bringing him a much needed cup of hot coffee.
Both of Mr. Garner’s AIR Lolas finished the race. The #8 car of Ed Leslie and Lothar Motschenbacher finished second behind the Roger Penske Lola T70 of Mark Donohue and Chuck Parsons and Garner’s #9 Lola driven by Scooter Patrick and Dave Jordan finished seventh. It was a remarkable first performance for the team.
Garner’s team also raced at Sebring that year, Lime Rock and the circuit at Canada’s St. Jovite. At the end of 1969 Garner disbanded American International Racers. His movie, The Racing Scene, was released in late 1970 and while not a top box office earner is considered one of the best racing films ever made.
Photo of the second American International Racer Lola T70 Mk 3B entered in the 1969 24 Hours of Daytona. Scooter Patrick and Dave Jordan drove the Lola to a 7th place finish.
From 1967 to 1969 Garner’s AIR cars raced in a number of events both in this country and Europe. However, the racing community best remembers Jim Garner for using his celebrity to help promote off-road racing in the early years of that sport.
At 81 James Garner is still active but life has slowed a little for him following a minor stroke in May of 2008.
To see more Louis Galanos pictures, visit his Flickr photo page at http://flickr.com/photos/smuckatelli.
[Source: Louis Galanos]
Related stories:
Filed Under: Featured Articles • Profiles • Race Profiles
Print Story About the Author: Louis Galanos is a retired teacher, Vietnam vet and graduate of the University of Florida. While a college student he worked as a race official for Sports Car Club of America during the late 60's and early 70's covering race events at Sebring and Daytona and taking many photographs during what some call The Golden Age of Sports Car Racing.To see more pictures from Louis, visit his Flickr photo page at http://flickr.com/photos/smuckatelli.
Follow Sports Car Digest on Twitter
Louis
Thanks so much for this great eye-witness account and fabulous photos of the James Garner’s AIR team’s participation in the ’69 Daytona. Wonderful spotlight!
That was really quite a spectacular finish for that new team.
It’s funny you mention Garner’s role in “Grand Prix” being modelled on Phil Hill. Mr Hill played the fictional character Tim Randolf in the movie, who at one point yells “He’s on fire!”, referring to Jame Garner’s character’s burning Grand Prix car!
I look forward to more of your racing experiences.
Cheers!
A great story and the facts were very interesting. I wonder if the film the “Racing Scene” is on DVD? This is the first time that I have heard of it. The period of the mid 1960′s through the mid to late 1970′s were exciting in GT and Endurance Racing with the Big Displacement Engines and the Great Cars like the Lola T-70′s the Ferrari 512′s and Porsche’s 910-917′s real magic. Awesome story.
Frank
I was asking myself thge same question … I would vove to have that movie in the collection.
Cheers!
Interesting to see the difference between the AIR and Penske cars. Great article -= Thank you
I, too, was at the ’69 Daytona 24 Hour Race and remember Jim Garner and AIR very well. My wife and I were standing immediately behind the fence in the pits when a mother gestured to Mr Garner to hold her child while she took a picure. Mr Garner willingly obliged the mother with a great smile and the photo op was completed. All this took place while the race waas running! A tribute to a genuinely decent man and a sad contrast to the routine celebrity-snobs we see too much of.
Jim
Thanks all for the compliments on the article.
If you Google The Racing Scene you will find a website called Edgar Motorsport.
That site give a detailed discussion on the making of the movie and the current attempts to bring it to DVD.
Take a look.
Lou Galanos
The Racing Scene movie looks like it would make me sick, as the coloring looks very different than what we are used to.
Mr Galanos –
I have enjoyed looking at all the late-60s & early 70s pictures on your website. It just so happens that I am currently scanning over 200 negatives taken during those very days, most from the 24Hrs of Daytona.
Is there any way I can contact you? I would like to purchase/have copies of some of the photos you have posted. In addition, I will be photoshopping a number of the cars & mug shots of their drivers composed together. I also have a mug shot of a driver whom I cannot identify and would appreciate your identifying him if possible. You are most welcome to have and use any shots you might want. I could send you a DVD of all my scans for your use.
I sincerely hope to hear from you!
Chuck McLaughlin
Hello Chuck I was co-Chief mechanic with Jim Culleton on the Lothar’s Car, I am standing directly to the right of Garner (hand on car) in the photo titled
James Garner seeks to offer congratulations to Lothar Motschenbacher after they finished 2nd in the 1969 24-Hours of Daytona
At the request of my grandkids I am very interested in getting copies of photos that I am in associated with our 2nd place #8 car. Thanks Richard
As usual great photos and ,now, great articles to bring further life to the scenes.
Keep it up , Lou !
Mario Levetto
the cars pictured from AIR were mark 3′s. the 3B cars had much improved downforce as evidenced by the angle of the nose, incorporating dual headlights, radiator opening lowered for better air flow etc. and improved tail lines for drag management. Suspension and chassis changes were also put in place for the 3B. The Penske/Donohue cars were 3B’s.
A face that seems to be absent from your excellent photos is that of Mr. Dick Guldstrand. Dick provided more than a little assistance
Mr. Garner’s AIR effort. Perhaps Dick did not make the trip to Daytona,I just felt he should be mentioned.
Wonderful pictures, back in the 1970’s in Ireland the only way you would get to see some of the race, was a few clips in the cinema, before the main feature.
Thanks for sharing them, and the history.
Wonderful to see such evocative images. I read somewhere that Jim set very competitive lap times during the making of the Grand Prix film.
It is nice to hear that he is not just a talent but also a gent.
when James Garner FIRST showed up at Daytona in 1968 with two gen 3 ? ? AIR Corvettes,that both broke very early, we were pitted next to his team with our Camaro . . . . he was very gracious in defeat . . . . walking around holding a rather large rubber chicken by the neck and TOTALLY engaged in “flirting with” my “barbie doll” wife (#1). . . . who was a whole lot more interested in him than she was in keeping our lap times ! !
Thank You …. Thank You …………. Thank you .. a thousand times .. This little story was a peach…
” Here’s to the sunny slopes of long ago”
with kindest regards, C.D. @ Austin Tejas .. who was 7 years old at the time of the race….
I was co-chief mechanic with my late dear friend Jim Culleton on the Leslie/Motschenbacher #8 Lola. I have a hundred stories for the 24 hours of this race. The gist of it all is we would have won but for a radiator. It seems the aluminum radiators we ran had fins that were so soft that when flicks of rubber hit the fins at high speed they folded over, restricted air flow and finally overheated the engine. This was a situation we could not have foreseen in testing. A long pit stop allowed the Penske Lola to pass us for the lead. I have fond memories of working with Culleton and we enjoyed a very intense inter team rivalry with the other AIR Lola. We went on to finish sixth overall at Sebring that Spring. Just as we went into the lead, we lost a left fron wheel bearing and lost many valuable minutes to change the red hot inner race – the burn scars still with me. Regards to all readers. Richard “Dick” Corrow
Forgot to mention, Dick Corrow is standing to the right of Garner (with hand on car) in the photo of the #8 Second place car titled;
James Garner seeks to offer congratulations to Lothar Motschenbacher after they finished 2nd in the 1969 24-Hours of Daytona
Thanks again for a great report.
Richard “Dick” Corrow